Hydraulic installation

ABSTRACT

An hydraulic installation incorporating two underground conduits one end of which commences at a point above and overlapping an end of the other conduit and at least one vertical discharge valve interconnecting the conduits which is actuated above ground.

United States Miller atet [1 1 [451 May 28, 1974 1 HYDRAULIC INSTALLATION [75] Inventor: Eric Miller, Marlow, England [73] Assignee: Glenfield & Kennedy Limited,

Kilmarnock, Scotland 221 Filed: Mar. 2, 1973 211 Appl.No.:337,639

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 20, 1972 Austria 44784/72 [52] US. Cl 137/1, 61/1 R, 137/236, 137/368, 137/599, 137/625.3

[51] Int. Cl. Fl6k 3/24, Fl6k 51/00 [58] Field of Search 61/1 R; 137/1, 236, 363,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 725,793 4/1903 Suddath 137/236 X 1,759,221 5/1930 Carson 137/364 3,722,854 3/1973 Parola 13716253 X Primary Examiner--Robert G. Nilson [57] ABSTRACT An hydraulic installation incorporating two underground conduits one end of which commences at a point above and overlapping an end of the other conduit and at least one vertical discharge valve interconnecting the conduits which is actuated above ground.

4 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure ll-IYll) ULKC INSTALLA'I'HON The subject of this invention is a hydraulic installation of the type incorporating an underground conduit incorporating flow control means operable from the surface of the ground. At present such an installation requires that there should be complicated passageways provided to accommodate the valves normally constituting the flow control means. There is at present known a type of valve manufactured by the applicant company and usually referred to as a vertical sleeve discharge. A valve of this type incorporates a tubular ported casing closed at the top end, a sleeve being slidable within the casing across the ports to vary the effective opening of the ports. The operating means for the sleeve is located above the closed end of the casing and the entry or discharge opening for fluid is at the other end which is open and which usually is fitted with a tubular extension piece.

A hydraulic installation according to the invention incorporates two underground conduits, an end of one conduit being located at a position above and overlapping an end of the other conduit and at least one vertical sleeve discharge valve of the type described interconnecting the conduits, the ported portion of the casing formed with the ports being located in the upper conduit and the tubular extension opening into the lower conduit.

The adjacent ends of the two conduits may be. formed as chambers located one above the other and several vertical sleeve discharge valves of the type described may be provided to interconnect the chambers in the manner described.

The closed end of the or each valve may be located in a vertical hole connecting the upper conduit and the surface of the ground to close off said hole.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which 1 and 2 denote two conduits, an end of the upper conduit 1 being located at a position above and overlapping an end of the lower conduit 2, 3 denotes holes interconnecting the conduits l and 2, 4 denotes holes connecting ground level with the upper conduit 1, the holes 4 and the holes 3 being coaxial, and 5 denotes vertical sleeve discharge valves fitted into the holes 4 and 3, the upper parts of the valves 5 being fonned with flanges 6 resting on the ground above the upper conduit 1 so that the valves are suspended from ground level and tubular extensions 7 projecting from the lower ends of the valves 5 projecting through the holes 3 and terminating at the lower conduit 2. Preferably the holes 3 where they debouch into the conduit 2 are bell-mouthed to reduce turbulence in liquid leaving or entering the holes 3. There is no difiiculty in providing bell mouths at the debouchments of the holes 3 into the conduit 2. One method is to expand the lower end of the extension piece on each valve and make the hole 3 large enough in diameter to allow the expanded end of the extension piece to pass through and then fill the annular space between the portion of the extension piece above the expanded end and the wall of the hole with concrete or other filler.

8 denotes the sleeve of each valve vertically movable across ports 9 in the valve casing to vary the effective area of opening of the ports.

The installation described will normally be used in situations where the direction of flow is from the lower conduit to the upper conduit since it is easier to suppress turbulence in liquid passing through the ports 9 by allowing it to discharge directly into the large volume of the upper conduit ll. The valves 5 will then be rising flow valves. The installation is, however, quite suitable for conditions where the direction of flow is from the upper conduit 1 to the lower conduit 2.

In practice, the installation of the invention is easy to construct since it is necessary only to make the two conduits l and 2 with one or more interconnecting holes 3 and a coaxial hole or holes 4 in the top of the upper conduit 1 and then lower one or more rising flow valves 5 through the hole or holes 4 in the upper part of the upper conduit, the tubular extension 7 of the or each valve passing through the or each interconnecting hole 4 to the lower conduit, the or each valve being suspended by the flange 5 from the top of the upper conduit or from the floor level or from the floor of the operating chamber above the upper conduit. It is necessary only to seal the valve in place. The control of flow through the installation, i.e. from one conduit to another is effected by merely moving the sleeve or sleeves 8 across the ports 9. The flow in a large conduit may be controlled without the necessity for installing a single large and consequently relatively expensive valve by employing the construction illustrated in which several smaller valves connect the conduits. These smaller valves may be brought into use consecutively according to the volume of flow required through the installation.

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

l. A hydraulic installation incorporating two underground conduits, one conduit commencing at a position above and overlapping the termination of the other conduit and at least one vertical sleeve discharge valve interconnecting the conduits, said valve incorporating a tubular casing closed at the top end and formed with ports, a sleeve slidable within the casing across the ports and a tubular extension piece projecting downwardly from the bottom end of the casing which is open, the portion of the casing formed with the ports being located in the upper conduit and the tubular extension opening into the lower conduit.

'2. An installation as claimed in claim 1 in which the adjacent ends of the two conduits are formed as chambers located one above the other and several vertical sleeve discharge valves are provided to interconnect the chambers.

3. An installation as claimed in claim 1 in which a vertical hole connects the upper conduit and the surface of the ground and the closed end of the valve is located in and closes off the said vertical hole.

4. A method of providing a hydraulic installation consisting in forming two underground conduits at different levels, one conduit being an upper conduit commencing at a position above and overlapping the termination of the other conduit which is a lower conduit, forming at least one vertical hole leading from ground level into the upper conduit and another vertical hole coaxial with said one hole interconnecting the two conduits and inserting into the two holes a vertical sleeve discharge valve having a tubular casing closed at the top end and formed with ports, a sleeve slidable within the casing across the ports and a tubular extension piece projecting downwardly from the bottom end of the casing which is open, and securing the valve in the position in which the closed end of the valve casing is located in and closes off the hole leading from ground level into the upper conduit and the tubular extension is within the vertical hole interconnecting the conduits. a: a 

1. A hydraulic installation incorporating two underground conduits, one conduit commencing at a position above and overlapping the termination of the other conduit and at least one vertical sleeve discharge valve interconnecting the conduits, said valve incorporating a tubular casing closed at the top end and formed with ports, a sleeve slidable within the casing across the ports and a tubular extension piece projecting downwardly from the bottom end of the casing which is open, the portion of the casing formed with the ports being located in the upper conduit and the tubular extension opening into the lower conduit.
 2. An installation as claimed in claim 1 in which the adjacent ends of the two conduits are formed as chambers located one above the other and several vertical sleeve discharge valves are provided to interconnect the chambers.
 3. An installation as claimed in claim 1 in which a vertical hole connects the upper conduit and the surface of the ground and the closed end of the valve is located in and closes off the said vertical hole.
 4. A method of providing a hydraulic installation consisting in forming two underground conduits at different levels, one conduit being an upper conduit commencing at a position above and overlapping the termination of the other conduit which is a lower conduit, forming at least one vertical hole leading from ground level into the upper conduit and another vertical hole coaxial with said one hole interconnecting the two conduits and inserting into the two holes a vertical sleeve discharge valve having a tubular casing closed at the top end and formed with ports, a sleeve slidable within the casing across the ports and a tubular extension piece projecting downwardly from the bottom end of the casing which is open, and securing the valve in the position in which the closed end of the valve casing is located in and closes off the hole leading from ground level into the upper conduit and the tubular extension is within the vertical hole interconnecting the conduits. 